Help please, what the heck is it and what do I do for it!!!!

[box6rranch]

My cows have spots on then up to about the size of a silver dollar that they have lost their hair and it's really thick and scaly. When you scratch at it it flakes off and then their is raw skin underneath. Our one heifer has that and now big dried blood scabs all over her back and tailhead. Our steer has a spot on his neck and our little calf has a few on her neck. It seems to only be on our white cows? Anyone have any clue what the heck it is and how do you treat it?

 

[sewwhat]

Welcome to the wonderful world of RINGWORM.  It is horrible this year.  Has gone through our show team barn with a vengeance.  Lots of different opinions on this.  We have always used Foot Fungus spray or ointment like Lotrimin or generic.  Wear gloves, because you can get it too.  Get the scaly stuff off, then apply treatment.  Repeat till you start to grow hair back.  If left alone it will run its own course in a couple of months.  But for show animals, you want it gone as quick as possible, to look their best.  We are still fighting it, luckily we have black cattle and black spray paint hides it for the shows.

 

[shortdawg]

There's a hundred different treatments but the easiest for us to get is Monistat 7.

 

[cowman 52]

Do not be real certain of the ringworm in the wet years it starts as a raised area,  and spreads  in our case NOT  ring worm but a cousin so cinch gauld in horses--  sub q pennicillin 3 doses over six days you start to see hair coming back  through the spots in about 10 days after the last inj

 

[CAB]

Do not be real certain of the ringworm in the wet years it starts as a raised area,  and spreads  in our case NOT  ring worm but a cousin so cinch gauld in horses--  sub q pennicillin 3 doses over six days you start to see hair coming back  through the spots in about 10 days after the last inj

I think cowman 52 is right on this not being ringworm. Different PPL have had the same thing that you describe under wet thick hair. It's a fungus tight of a problem though.

 

[sewwhat]

go to the main page of steer planet and look at the article on ringworm facts.  lots of good info.  our calves are covered right now with ringworm, starting to grow hair back.

 

[rocknmranch]

I would agree about not being ringworm.... More like rain rot, oak fungus, along those lines. Usually wash in antifungal soap, and use betedine scrub topically and leave. Horses get the same type of thing. Nolvasan is another great disinfectent for these types of things.

 

[EONF]

Hi! I know where you are coming from. We have been battling this from mid Feb. Just seems to have gotten under control. Our heifer had the same scabs. We took her to the vet thinking it was something other than ringworm, but it wasn't. He said that ringworm is just really bad this year. He also said that we needed to bath her all over because the ringworm spores had been transferred on to her and were probably all over, even though we had only had problems with two spots. Several things to try that will work (and this was on a red/white Shorthorn, because the skin color makes a difference): We treated her for 2 weeks with the ringworm or athlete's foot cream and spray. We used the cream for around her eyes and face, while putting the liquid spray everywhere else. We also got shampoo from the vet and washed her 3 times with that. Just follow the directions. We then treated her for over 2 weeks with a spray called Vetercyn. It's recommended for horses and dogs, mainly for burns. But because of the scabs and where they peeled off, the spray really worked to hydrate the skin. Its expensive and we found it at a horse feed store, but it works better than anything once the scab has come off. We have also been treating around the scabs or where the skin appears flaky with baby oil. The treatment the vet had her on dried the skin out really bad, so I would strongly recommend making sure you hydrate the skins whether with baby oil or some type of conditioner. Good luck and if there is anything we can do to help you, please let us know. It has been trying dealing with it but stay strong

 

[box6rranch]

Thanks for all the input and suggestions. I have done some reading and comparing of symptoms and I am pretty sure they have scabies. I have a call into the vet. From what I've read you can treat with Ivermic giving a shot sub. I need to find out how much, if I can use it on pregnant and lactating cows and also calves. Everyone else isn't bad but our poor show heifer has it pretty bad. Hopefully this is the best treatment. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas it would be much appreciate.

 

[CAB]

  If it is Scabies, I think that used to require a quarantine. I'm not positive about it,but I do think that it used to. Cattle coming from certain areas of the country require being ran through a dipping vat. It sounds like your show heifer may have brought it home to you. Is that possible? Good luck. Brent

 

[box6rranch]

I am so aggravated!!!! We didn't buy any cows this year so everything has been at our ranch with the exception of taking this heifer and our steer (who also has it) to stock show. It was a miserable experience. We have gone for years but this year they both got sick with upper respiratory crap and brought it home to spread to several other cows. I don't know what the deal was down there but I think they need to start taking a much harder look at the cows coming in to make sure they are all healthy!!!!!
We don't plan on going anywhere with them until county fair in August so we should be fine, basically self quarantining them.

 

[justintime]

My first thought was about scabies and not ringworm, but it is best to get it diagnosed by a vet. If it is scabies, it is nothing to take lightly. Like CAB said, it used to be ( and may still be) a disease that is reportable which will lead to herd quarantine. By before you get all excited, have it checked out. It may not be this at all.

If it is only on your white animals or on the white markings on red animals, it could be a disease that is caused by an allergic reaction to sunlight. I have only seen this twice in my life. Several years ago, a neighbor had this happen on his Shorthorn cows. The red parts of the animals were fine, but the white markings were blistered with ugly scabs and if you pulled them off they were raw and bloody. He had to run the cows through the chute every day and treat them and I cannot remember what was used. I had one of my donor cows get this 4 years ago, and we had to put her in total darkness for 3 weeks. It was hard to have to put her and her calf in the barn and cover all the windows and keep the doors all closed in mid June, but it did work.

It may be just ringworm as several others have suggested, but you usually do not hear of older animals getting ringworm, unless they have never been in contact with it before. I guess this is a possibility, but it is not real common.

 

[SWMO]

Our heavy haired charolais get rain rot BAD in weather like we have had this winter.  Betadyne scrub and keep clean.  A shot of penicillian does not hurt.